$340 plus pretty cheap shipping. I hope that's not an insane price to pay for one of those. I just wanted to start off my vinyl listening experience with the best in my budget, and everybody's always talking about the sl1200.

They are sturdier yeah, but that only really matters when you're a DJ. For home listening a belt-drive like the Pro-ject is more than decent enough. Again, I'm not saying he did a bad purchase, the Technics are wonderful players. But there are better options out there.